Red Sox Trade Rumors: Lannan Requests Trade From Washington

John Lannan has requested a trade from the Washington Nationals, according to Amanda Comak of the Washington Times (Twitter link).   The news comes shortly after Lannan was optioned to the minor leagues after losing the final spot in the starting rotation.

The Red Sox were rumored to have expressed interest in Lannan throughout the off season, but reports this week surfaced that the asking price for Lannan was on the ridiculous side.  Now it appears that Nationals GM, Mike Rizzo may not be able to demand such a lofty return in order to accommodate Lannan.  The left hander is set to make $5M this season and don’t be surprised if the Nats even incur some of his salary, providing they get a decent package in return.

Now is the time for Ben Cherington to pull the trigger on Lannan if he has any desire to do so.  Earlier today we learnt that Cherington was exploring outside options to provide pitching depth as he is not overly comfortable with what has transpired from Spring Training.  Lannan a five-year veteran of the majors would provide that depth, but there has been concern over his ability to control his pitches.

His career numbers signify a decent number five guy in the rotation with an ERA of 4.00, a WHIP of 1.423 and a SO/9 ratio of only 4.3.  The intriguing part about Lannan is that he’s worked in at least 180+ innings in three of the last four years.

Despite the Nationals holding no obligation to meet Lannan’s request, he might come a little cheaper than originally thought, given Rizzo may want to make this headache go away sooner rather than later.

We’ll keep you posted as the events unfold and if the Red Sox begin showing interest in Lannan.

For all the latest news and analysis from BoSox Injection, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, or with our RSS feed.